At-home
Cortisol Test
Track your cortisol rhythm alongside your Pulsetto routine. Test now, retest every 4 weeks, and compare your reports.
- Two samples in one day: after waking and before bed
- Measured by immunoassay in a licensed clinical lab
- A private report, opened only with your Sample ID
- Your report in about 3 to 5 weeks
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Licensed clinical lab
LifeLab1, licence No. 4864
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Immunoassay analysis
Cortisol from a dried blood spot
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Four drops, one day
Morning and evening samples
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Ships from New Jersey
Arrives in 3 to 7 days
8 Signs of uncontrolled cortisol levels
Signs
Cortisol, your body’s stress signal
Cortisol is the hormone that gets you up and going. It should be high when you wake and low by bedtime, and that rise and fall shapes your energy, sleep and mood through the day.
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Most cells
in the body carry cortisol receptors, so cortisol reaches energy, metabolism, immunity and focus.
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50%+
higher cortisol in the morning than in the evening, in a typical daily rhythm.
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~60%
rise in cortisol after a brief stressor like public speaking. That’s why you test on an ordinary day.
Cortisol isn’t the enemy
The right amount at the right time keeps you sharp. Three things people often get wrong:
Say Hi to cortisol.
not your enemy at all.
- Myth
“High cortisol is always bad.”
A sharp morning peak is the point: it’s what gets you going. Cortisol that stays high into the evening is what’s worth a look.
- Myth
“It only rises when I’m stressed.”
It rises on a schedule every day, stress or not. That schedule is your daily rhythm, and it’s what this test measures.
- Myth
“One reading tells the story.”
One reading is one moment. Two in a day show the rhythm. Two days, 4 weeks apart, show whether it moved.
Sources: 1. Kaur J, Gandhi J, Sharma S. Physiology, Cortisol. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. 2. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research, 2021. 3. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2014 (doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.08.015).
Your daily cortisol rhythm
When it rises and falls shapes how you feel every day. Two samples, one after waking and one before bed, show which shape is yours.
Illustrative shapes, not results
Clear rhythm
A clear peak after waking and a low before bed, with a wide gap between the two.
Evening stays high
A morning peak, but the evening level stays up instead of falling away.
Flatter rhythm
A muted peak after waking, so morning and evening sit closer together.
Reversed rhythm
Lower after waking and higher at night: the evening level sits above the morning one.
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Morning sample
Within 1 hour of waking. Two drops on the card, catching your peak.
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Evening sample
Between 9 and 11 pm the same day. Two drops, catching your low.
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AM:PM ratio
How far apart the two are. Your report shows each level against the lab’s reference range.
Your part takes one day
No clinic visit, no app. You test at home; we handle the shipping and the lab.
From order to report
About 3 to 5 weeks in total
3 to 7 days after ordering
Your kit arrives
Shipped from New Jersey in plain packaging.
Your part: one day
Any ordinary day
Test at home
Two drops after waking, two between 9 and 11 pm.
The next morning
Mail it back
Prepaid envelope, any mailbox.
About 3 to 5 weeks after
Read your report
The lab measures your card, and we email you when the report is ready.
Everything you need, in one box
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Sample card with four circles, two for the morning and two for the evening. Your Sample ID is printed on it.
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Two procedure packs: lancet, alcohol wipe, gauze pad and plaster. One for each sample.
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Card sleeve and foil bag with desiccant, to keep the dried card safe in the mail.
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Prepaid return envelope back to our US warehouse.
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Picture instructions, step by step.
Cortisol kit arrives
Let it come up to room temperature before you open anything, and pick a day you’ll be home both in the morning and at bedtime.
A few drops
Within an hour of waking, prick the side of your ring finger and let one large drop fall into each of the first two circles. Before bed, do the same into the last two. Write both exact times on the card — the lab uses them to work out your ratio. Skip food, caffeine and nicotine for the half hour before each one.
Post it back
Let the card dry flat in its sleeve for three hours, seal it in the foil bag with the desiccant inside, and drop it in the prepaid envelope. Return postage is already paid, and your name never goes on the outside.
The lab measures it
Your card reaches LifeLab1 in a batch.
You get an email the day your report is
ready.
What you’ll learn from your results
A report with three numbers: your morning level, your evening level, and the ratio between them. Each is shown against the lab’s reference range, with a plain-language note on what it means.
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Morning level: where your peak sits.
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Evening level: where your low sits.
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AM:PM ratio: how clear the rhythm between them is.
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Yours alone: opened with your Sample ID on LifeLab1’s results page.
cortisol level128.6 nmol/L
Below the expected morning range (136.3–505.4 nmol/L)
cortisol level389.4 nmol/L
Above the expected evening range (89.1–381.2 nmol/L)
cortisol ratio1:3.0
Below 2:1: evening level is higher than morning level
This test is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or replace the medical advice and/or treatment obtained from a qualified healthcare practitioner.
Follow your pattern. Make a change. See your progress.
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Follow your pattern
Test 1 shows your morning peak, your evening low and the ratio between them: your starting point.
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Make one change
Keep your Pulsetto routine and add one thing you can stick to for 4 weeks: earlier nights, morning daylight, coffee before noon.
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See your progress
Each retest, on a similar day and at the same times, shows what moved and where you now sit against the lab’s reference range.
How many check-ins?
Illustrative example, not a result
1 test, a single snapshot
A snapshot
Where your rhythm is today. One stressful day can raise cortisol, so a single reading may not be your usual.
2 tests, a before and after
[COPY NEEDED] A first check-in
[COPY NEEDED] Your second report shows whether your rhythm moved after 4 weeks of one change.
3 tests, does it hold?
[COPY NEEDED] Does it hold?
[COPY NEEDED] A third report shows whether the change held, not just a good day.
4 tests over 12 weeks
A clear trend
Three check-ins over 12 weeks show your pattern clearly enough to decide what to keep.
Start measuring your stress today
One limited first batch of 1,000 tests, offered to Pulsetto owners first. When they’re gone, the waitlist opens.
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Free replacement
If the lab can’t read your sample, we send you a new box at no cost.
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Easy returns on unopened kits
Changed your mind? Return an unopened kit within [30] days for a full refund.
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Private by design
Your report opens only with your Sample ID, and our emails never include your numbers.
At-home Cortisol Test
LifeLab1, in partnership with Pulsetto
LifeLab1 is a licensed clinical laboratory in Vilnius, Lithuania. Your card is matched to your Sample ID, measured, and reported back to you on the lab’s own results page.
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Licence
No. 4864
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Method
Immunoassay
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Sample
Dried blood spot
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Location
Vilnius, Lithuania
Questions, answered
Can’t find yours? Our support team is here to help.
How long until I see my results?
About 3 to 5 weeks from your order: 3 to 7 days for delivery, your test day, then your card travels to the lab in a batch and the lab needs about a week. You get an email the day your report is ready.
Does it hurt?
It’s a small spring-loaded lancet on a fingertip, the kind used for glucose checks, and it feels like a quick pinch. Each box has two lancets: one for the morning sample, one for the evening.
When exactly do I take the samples?
Morning: within 1 hour of waking. Evening: between 9 and 11 pm, the same day. Pick an ordinary day at home, and repeat the same timing for each retest.
Why mail it the next morning?
The dried card is protected by the foil bag, but the lab needs to receive it within 4 weeks of your test day for a reliable reading. Mailing it the next morning keeps you well inside that window.
What if the lab can’t read my sample?
If the spots are too small or smudged to measure, we send you a replacement box at no cost. Fill each circle completely and let the card dry flat before you seal it.
Where do I see my results, and who else can?
On LifeLab1’s results page, by entering your Sample ID. It starts with PUL and is printed on the box, on the card and on the tear-off tab you keep. Our emails never contain your numbers, and the address printed on the box takes you straight to the results page.
How should I space my tests?
Every 4 weeks, on a similar ordinary day, at the same times: within 1 hour of waking and between 9 and 11 pm. We email you when each retest is due.
Can I buy just one test?
This offer starts at 2 tests. The second test is what makes the first one useful: it turns a snapshot into a before and after. With 3 or 4 tests, you keep going every 4 weeks.
Is this a medical test?
No. It’s a wellness test, measured by a licensed clinical lab. It isn’t intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and it doesn’t replace a conversation with your doctor. If you have a health concern, or take medication that affects cortisol, talk to a healthcare professional before testing.
Which states do you ship to, and can I return it?
We ship to US addresses in [states, to confirm], to adults 18 and over. Unopened kits can be returned within [30] days. See the refund policy for tests.
A limited first batch of 1,000 tests
824 tests left. When they’re gone, this batch closes.
